Is Daniel Craig now a household name in the U.S. or what?

Head of Station Posts : 1413 Member Since : 2011-04-11

Americans, is Craig now a big name on your side of the pond, thanks not only to Bond but also to COWBOYS AND ALIENS and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO? Has he "arrived" yet? Or would most Americans still go "Daniel who?" if you mentioned his name?

Not that it really matters whether he's a big name or not, but I was wondering just how famous he's become. I mean, he can't be doing all that badly if he's getting first billing ahead of Harrison Ford, but I just thought I'd check.

I think it's safe to say he is a household name, naturally since he's the current James Bond.

00 Agent Posts : 10588 Member Since : 2011-03-14

Correction: Daniel Cregg is now a household name, not the other guy.

Loomis wrote:: Americans, is Craig now a big name on your side of the pond, thanks not only to Bond but also to COWBOYS AND ALIENS and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO? Has he "arrived" yet? Or would most Americans still go "Daniel who?" if you mentioned his name?

Not that it really matters whether he's a big name or not, but I was wondering just how famous he's become. I mean, he can't be doing all that badly if he's getting first billing ahead of Harrison Ford, but I just thought I'd check.

Household name? Yes. Box office draw? No. Then again, very few actors and actresses these days are legitimate draws.

Yes, he got first billing ahead of Harrison Ford, but it's worth noting that Craig's screen time is larger compared to Ford, Ford is no longer the draw he ONCE WAS, and Craig's character IS the film's protagonist. Only rarely do you see an actor get top billing over the actor who is actually the star of the film: two examples that come to mind are SUPERMAN (Gene Hackman getting first billing over Christopher Reeve) and BATMAN (Nicholson getting first billing over Keaton).

Head of Station Posts : 1413 Member Since : 2011-04-11

Makeshift Python wrote:: I think it's safe to say he is a household name, naturally since he's the current James Bond.

Erm, well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Dalton was ever a household name in the States. Or Lazenby, come to that.

Obviously, playing James Bond does guarantee a certain level of recognition, but when I say household name I mean.... well, a household name.

Loomis wrote:

Makeshift Python wrote:: I think it's safe to say he is a household name, naturally since he's the current James Bond.

Erm, well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Dalton was ever a household name in the States. Or Lazenby, come to that.

Obviously, playing James Bond does guarantee a certain level of recognition, but when I say household name I mean.... well, a household name.

True. I'd say Craig is more or less on the same level as Moore and Brosnan as far as household names go, while Connery is up on another level.

Sharky wrote:: Correction: Daniel Cregg is now a household name, not the other guy.

Is my country really mispronouncing his name? laugh

00 Agent Posts : 10588 Member Since : 2011-03-14

Makeshift Python wrote:

Sharky wrote:: Correction: Daniel Cregg is now a household name, not the other guy.

Is my country really mispronouncing his name? laugh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrTsuvykUZk#t=0m9s

I think he's currently known as "that guy who plays James Bond".

Q Branch Posts : 853 Member Since : 2010-05-25

I met a guy once who didn't know that Sean Connery was ever Bond.

It's sad that people in my generation think Pierce Brosnan and nothing else when they think of Bond.

Head of Station Posts : 2038 Member Since : 2011-09-10

some of my friends and people I know here still don't know him by name

some refer to him as the man with the big ears or the "Mad Magazine" guy

Over here in Australia, when people I've spoken to refer to Bond, they think instantly of Connery, Moore, Brosnan and the new guy... what's his name...? Craig Daniels?

Head of Station Posts : 2038 Member Since : 2011-09-10

I told a friend I went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

He asked me what's that movie about? I haven't heard of it.

So I had to explain to him the whole thing about the books and the Swedish movies and this is an American Adaptation and it stars the new James Bond.

He was mum about it.

I said again: you know? Daniel Craig? The new James Bond.

His answer: there is a new James Bond.

so I asked him what was the last Bond film he saw and he mumbled something that sounded like TWINE.

I don't know how things are in the States, but in the places I've recently lived in or visited (Canada, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, France), since Casino Royale Craig is as well known a name as any current British actor. He's getting increased media attention, with his marriage to Weisz, four films in 2011, all those men's magazine covers, etc. As a matter of fact, I think that every month since last summer I saw a major magazine put Craig on the cover. It seems to me that Craig's appeal is more targetted to the 25+ crowd, which is good other than that it's likely hurting the box office of some of his movies.